Earlier this month, in colorful light in Alumnae Hall, Attitude Dance Company — a student-run dance group founded in 2004 — hosted its annual spring show: “Glamour.”
Rebecca Weng ’27, a member of Attitude, choreographed two dances for “Glamour”: one contemporary ballet piece to “Back to Me” by The Marías and one set to a medley of “lovercore (intro)” by Artemas and “PITCH BLACK” by Tove Lo.
“We're really into trying different things,” Weng said.
When Weng found songs she liked, she thought “it would be so cool to see the dancers perform (her) vision.” Before the group performed the dance in front of the Alumnae Hall audience, Weng spent the fall practicing and plotting the dance and taught it to others. Leading up to the show, the group rehearsed from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Despite the late hours, Weng — who has been in the group since her freshman year said she has cherished the time she’s spent with the organization. “I’m truly, very passionate about creating something with a group of people that I love spending time with,” she said.
Student choreographers only have six to eight hours to teach the dancers, according to Attitude Co-Director Sarah Richman ’26. This year’s choreography, which Richman described as more fast-paced and “hip hoppy” than last year’s, had been rehearsed frequently before the show. But finding rehearsal space was difficult this year, she said: The group had to share rehearsal spaces with several other dance groups.
“We've talked to at least four or five different groups that we've been sharing space with,” Richman said. “Either they're using some of our regular rehearsal hours or we're using some of their rehearsal hours.”
Richman said other groups have been nice about sharing space. “Every other group has the same issue where they need all the time they can get,” she added.
For What’s on Tap? — a tap dance group that hosts semesterly performances — rehearsals are held at 10 p.m. on Mondays due to dance-space and member availability.
“Sometimes it can logistically be kind of hard to find a time where everyone is available and the space is also available,” said What's on Tap? Co-Director Katie Li ’26.
Small-group rehearsals throughout the week for specific, group-based choreography instruction and are led by student choreographers.
This year What’s on Tap? looks a little different — around half of its members are freshmen.
Kaitlyn Yoder ’29 said that she first heard about What’s on Tap? from the club fair. Later, when learning the Shim Sham — a large group dance — Yoder said that the upperclassmen “were super good about making us feel comfortable with the team.”
In Attitude, dance styles evolve as students from different class years join the group, Richman added. “It’s really cool to see how it changes as new people come in and bring their own style to the group.”
Lucia Santiago is a senior staff writer covering undergraduate student life.
